Hi there,
my hubby and I would love to do some paddling trips this holiday somewhere on the south island. We´d love to go somewhere remote, best would be to tent somewhere over one or several nights. But our paddling experience is limited, so I am looking for some tips here for destinations that are more or less safe.

To give you an idea of our level of experience:
We bought 2 fishing kayaks (Cobra Navigator & Viking pro fish) about 3 years ago with no previous experience. Since then we have done some paddling on slow/big rivers around Dunedin like lower Taieri, also on lake dustan, lake Waipori, lake Benmore, Dunedin harbour/at Armaoana Spit/murderers beach...
We also did the Whanganui river journey with our own yaks without capsizing, a guided Doubtful Sound overnight trip (Double Sea Kayak) and an unguided 3day trip in the Abel Tasman from Takaka beach in a double sea kayak with a good safety briefing inc. wet exit and entry practice. We also did some fun surfing exercises and re-entry in calmer conditions with our own yaks.
We first thought it would be great to paddle on Lake Manapouri or so, but all I can read about it is that it is only for the experienced and I am really not sure what that means... (probably not us).
If anyone has a recommendation for a place on the South Island -Fresh or Saltwater- what would make a great multi day trip with safe exit points along the way, I´d really appreciate it.

If you've made it down the Whanganui River in one piece and done Abel Tasman you must be OK.
There's great sea kayak touring in the Marlborough Sounds. Quite a few DOC camps that are only accessible via sea. And if you are feeling brave and can get a reliable weather forecast (via portable VHF radio) you can tackle Durville Island